Ex-US Rep. Matt Gaetz accused of sex trafficking in federal suit

Two women say the former U.S. Representative and others offered money, drugs and travel in exchange for sex.(CN) — Two women sued former U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz and others Thursday, accusing them of using money, drugs and travel to exploit them as part of a sex trafficking scheme.The complaint, filed Thursday in the Middle District of Florida, names Gaetz, former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg, Christopher Dorworth and four Greenberg-affiliated businesses.The women, who are not identified in the complaint, say that from 2017 through January 2019, Gaetz and Greenberg recruited them for sexual encounters and split expenses for drugs, hotel rooms and travel. They accuse Dorworth of knowingly participating in events at his home and claim Greenberg’s family businesses helped finance the operation.“They were men of power, wealth, and privilege who used their positions not to protect the vulnerable but to prey upon them," the women say in their complaint.They seek unspecified damages under the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act.Gaetz told The Guardian in a statement Thursday he looks forward to depositions to prove the accusations are false.“The lawsuit relies almost exclusively on a congressional committee report that didn’t allow me to confront my accusers,” he said. “Now I will finally have that chance.”Gaetz is referring to a 2024 report by the House Ethics Committee, which found substantial evidence that Gaetz regularly paid women for sexual activity and documented tens of thousands of dollars in payments to roughly a dozen women that it considered likely connected to sexual activity or drug use.The Justice Department investigated Gaetz for several years over suspicions involving sex trafficking, illegal drug use and obstruction of justice before closing its investigation in 2023 without bringing federal charges against him.Gaetz resigned from Congress in 2024 after President Donald Trump nominated him for U.S. attorney general, but he withdrew his name from consideration after several Senate Republicans said they would not support his bid, citing the committee’s findings.Greenberg pleaded guilty in 2021 to federal charges including sex trafficking of a minor, in connection to accusations contained in the complaint. In his plea agreement, he admitted to using a website advertising “sugar daddy relationships” to find women whom he paid for sex, sometimes disguising payments as money for school or living expenses. He also admitted to supplying ecstasy to women and introducing a minor to adult men for commercial sex acts.Greenberg was sentenced in December 2022 to 11 years in federal prison. He’s scheduled to be released in 2030.The plaintiffs claim Greenberg recruited the women through SeekingArrangement.com and introduced them to Gaetz. Gaetz did not maintain his own account on the site but used Greenberg’s login credentials.One woman says she was 20 when she met Gaetz in 2017. She claims Gaetz had sex with her at a July 2017 gathering at Dorworth’s home in Heathrow, Florida, and that she received a series of payments from Gaetz and Greenberg. She also says the payments were often small and irregular, leaving her dependent on the men for basic expenses.The second woman says she was 22 when Greenberg first contacted her online in 2017. She claims Greenberg and Gaetz paid her for sex and promised to cover college tuition and other expenses but failed to provide the amounts promised.The women say Gaetz and Greenberg arranged and paid for trips to locations like Las Vegas and the Bahamas in exchange for sex. During a January 2019 trip to New York, the women say, an associate told them they had to perform sexual acts with Gaetz before going to a nightclub.Drugs, including MDMA, cocaine and marijuana, were provided during events and trips, they say, and the men used descriptions such as “School,” “Rent” and “Being my friend” when they sent electronic payments.The women say the men exploited their financial circumstances to build dependence, causing psychological trauma, emotional distress and financial losses.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads